From February 27 to March 2, the Mobile World Congress 2017 in Barcelona will see the biggest (and quite possibly the smallest) mobile brands bring the best they have to offer. Apart from peripherals and accessories, some big announcements will also be made. With all the teasers and excitement that phone-makers have teased us with over the last few months, now is a good time to look forward and see what we can expect at the event. Here are six smartphones that are highly anticipated to arrive at the MWC 2017.
1) Huawei – P10
Apart from a teaser that was released a week back, there is not much to take away from Huawei’s purpose of the P10 smartphone. From what the teaser provides, we can estimate that either the phone will be all about its dual-camera set-up, just like its predecessor was, or it will feature some form of VR functionality. None of these have been confirmed so far, since the company has done a stellar job of keeping things under wraps for the internet to hype over. But that could also be due to the fact that the internet is most concerned over the new iPhone 8 or the new LG G6 that’s also supposed to make its debut soon. Will Huawei let them know what they are missing with the P10’s launch? We’ll find out soon.
Internally, we are expecting to see the new and improved Kirin processor – the Kirin 960, with a myriad of options for memory and storage capacities. The device is rumored to sport a larger 5.5-inch display with Quad HD resolution and a 20MP + 12MP primary cameras and an 8 MP front camera. It could also be backed by a 3100mAh battery with support for wireless charging.
2) Motorola – G5/G5 Plus
The G line-up of Motorola has hit stellar sales since its inception. Even the X line-up didn’t get the kind of praise that the more budget-friendly G series had. The company, now under Lenovo, is going to be releasing the next iteration of the G model. It will be coming in two variants apparently – the standard sized G5 and the slightly larger G5 Plus. But that is all that is there on the table right now for Motorola at the MWC 2017. From the reports we gather, it looks like the device will pack a 5-inch Full HD resolution screen with Gorilla Glass 3. It will powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 430 processor with 2GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The G5 Plus on the other hand could come with a 5.2-inch Full HD display and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor. On G5, the cameras would be a 13MP on the back and 5MP on the front. In the bigger variant, you will have a smaller camera set up but a bigger battery at 3,000 mAh. The G5 is armed with 2,800 mAh battery.
3) BlackBerry – Mercury
They are holding a big event to showcase the fruits of its acquisition to TCL/Alcatel – the Mercury. It was first teased at the CES recently, and will bring back the physical keyboard for which BlackBerry has always been known for. It is said that the physical features should be reminiscent of the BlackBerry Passport. One of the most notable features that will be involved in the Mercury will be the spacebar which will also act as the fingerprint sensor for the user to unlock the phone.
There won’t be any BlackBerry OS anymore, unfortunately, so users will have to get used to the entire suite of the Android Operating System at their disposal, which isn’t a bad thing at all. It will use a BlackBerry Skin however. TCL/Alcatel don’t really seem like they are looking to make big waves with this release. But a few ripples at least are expected, considering we are getting a remnant of smartphones’ past – the QWERTY keyboard. Specs wise, there has not been any confirmation, but this will be among the first releases to happen at the MWC 2017.
4) LG – G6
The most awaited phone of the year so far, the LG G6 will finally make its appearance. After all the fanfare and the anticipation behind the phone, LG have confirmed that it will, in fact, come with a 5.7-inch 18:9 ratio QHD+ display. This means near bezel-less technology. As far as what LG has teased with their recent video, it seems a lot to do with the likes of using square spaces in order to utilize the real estate of the screen.
We cannot expect the G6 to come with the Snapdragon 835 unfortunately, but we will get the next best thing – the 821 which isn’t really bad. Even the RAM will come in at 6GB as expected, with a removable 3,200 mAh battery (something that smartphone makers have forgotten about as of late) and an improved 32-bit Quad DAC model for better audio. Of course, it will also feature water and dust resistance, with IP68 certification.
5) HMD Global – Nokia
The Nokia 6 made quite a few heads turn and the Chinese were lucky enough to get a crack at it ahead of the rest of the world. HMD Global will be releasing a number of Nokia branded smartphones running Android such as the Nokia 3, the Nokia 5 and the Nokia 8. This means that there will be separate price brackets that these models will fit in, providing variety to different kinds of users. Another big possible release which could happen will be the resurgence one of Nokia’s most popular classics – the 3310 remake. A modern rendition to pay homage to a long-standing classic and successful meme would truly make for a great re-entry to the market for the former smartphone giant. Nevertheless, Nokia is sure to wow the crowds with their offerings this time around.
6) Samsung
No, there will not be a Galaxy S8 release at the MWC 2017, but Samsung did mention that it will be holding a press conference on February 26, hinting at either a new release date for the device as well as the release of the upcoming Tab S3. The Tab S3 is expected to come with a 9.6-inch AMOLED display, with the trusty Snapdragon 820 chipset, 4GB of RAM, 32/128GB of storage, a massive 5,870 mAh battery, with USB Type-C connectivity, a fingerprint sensor as well as a stylus. An update to the Gear headset is also expected with a new controller along with the annual update of the rugged Xcover smartphone.
Sony will be making some releases as well, none as highly anticipated as the above few, however, but they should be bringing out new models to cover every budget segment. The phone-maker has lost its footing in the Android smartphone world of late and has constantly been overlooked by its peers. Considering what the Xperia line-up had going for itself in its initial stages, it is important that the company redeem itself from this slump before being forgotten.
Gionee is also going to release a few new phones at the event, namely, the A-Series of phones, of which the A1 will come packed with an Octa-core chipset, a 1080p screen at 5.5-inches, 4GB of RAM and on-board storage of 64GB. ZTE will be showing us a glimpse into the future with their new Gigabit phone, which will be the first to be compatible with 5G connectivity speeds. Oppo is also releasing the 5x, that’s been touted to provide an exceptional camera performance.
The greatest expo for mobiles is just around the corner and the hype is real. Smartphone users have a lot to look forward to this year already.
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